Public health holding clinics to ensure students are up-to-date on routine vaccines

Grey Bruce Public Health is assisting local families to ensure students are up-to-date on routine, publicly-funded vaccines, required by provincial legislation.

Public health's vaccine-preventable diseases team will be holding vaccine clinics in several Grey-Bruce communities in March – including throughout March Break – as part of ongoing, focused suspension-prevention efforts.

“Our focus right now is on supporting students who still need to update their immunization records,” said Monica Blair, manager of the vaccine-preventable diseases program.

“Having an updated immunization record, ensures students comply with the Immunization of School Pupils Act and are not at risk of suspension. It will also assist families in the event of an outbreak, as students who are protected from vaccine-preventable diseases do not have to be excluded from class if one of the diseases is circulating at their school.”

The Immunization of School Pupils Act outlines the immunization requirements for elementary and secondary school students. It also requires public health units to maintain and review immunization records for every student attending school within their jurisdiction and school boards to enforce a suspension for students with incomplete vaccine information or overdue immunizations unless a medical or non-medical exemption is in place.

Public health has been working since the summer to assist families in bringing all students into compliance with the Act. This work resulted in a 67-per-cent decrease in the number of students at risk of suspension. In mid-February, suspension notices were provided to about 900 students whose immunization records were still not up-to-date.

“We are working with these families to bring these students into compliance before the suspension period in late March," said Blair. "We encourage these families to reach out to public health so we can assist them in this process."

Parents/guardians whose children are up-to-date on all required vaccines are asked to ensure their immunization records with public health are also updated. Immunization information can be accessed and updated using the on-line ICON tool: ICON Link.

A calendar of community clinics is available on the public health website, at: Grey Bruce Public Health Calendar.

To contact the vaccine-preventable diseases team, call 519-376-9420 or 1-800-263-3456 (Press 2) or by E-mail at immunization@publichealthgreybruce.on.ca.